Succubi and Doctors and Unicorns Oh My!
by lostlashes
Summary: Set after 1.01, there is a succubus, a doctor, and a unicorn (?) Oh my! A bit of angst, a scoop of humour, a lashing of fluff, a teaspoon of smut, 8oz of love and a boatload of lust ... I think.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is my first foray back into writing in quite a while, plus my first _Lost Girl_ fic, so please go easy on me! Of course, all reviews and constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated, and I hope everyone who reads it enjoys it.

This is set after episode 1.01.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I own absolutely nothing in relation to _Lost Girl_ or it's characters. I am merely writing this for entertainment purposes and to amuse myself (and hopefully some others.) No animals, ouija boards, knick knacks, pecan ice-cream or kimonos were harmed in the making of this story. Oh, and the toothpaste is in the footlocker. FYI.

Chapter One

"Whew," Kenzi breathed while dramatically dabbing at her forehead with a sleeve. Her eyes narrowed into a squint as smoke continued to drift around her, though couldn't resist another peek at the cause of it – a murderous grey-skinned Fae whom they'd been trying to catch for days. "Dude got _burned_." She looked over to her best friend who was looking inexplicably forlorn in the face of their glorious victory. "Burned," she repeated a bit louder with an exaggerated tilt of her head in the direction of the smoking remains of the Fae in question. "Get it?" Still, she received nothing. Shaking her head, she shoved her hands into her pockets before shrugging. "Though if you _are_ going to be a Fae who's only redeeming quality is that you can belch flammable gas … you've kinda gotta expect it, amirite?"

Bo continued to glare darkly at the ground, her jaw set and a hand placed firmly on her hip.

"Yo, Bo-Bo!" Kenzi reproved with a pout, reaching forward to snap her fingers in front of her friend's face. "You're killing me here. _I'm_ a laughter whore and _you_ are giving me major blueballs." Her eyes widened as Bo looked up at her with an apologetic expression. Kenzi sighed. "Dude, you left me hanging. What the hell?"

Bo blinked a couple of times as she forced her mind to focus on Kenzi. "Sorry, Kenz. I just … I …" She shrugged and planted a smile on her face. "It's nothing. What were you saying?"

Kenzi eyed Bo suspiciously. She knew her best friend well enough to know when something wasn't right and her spidey sense was definitely tingling. Abruptly her eyes widened and she furtively looked around the large, empty parking lot. "Oh shit," she muttered wearily before taking a few steps around the corpse and approaching Bo. "You didn't feed earlier?"

No longer surprised that Kenzi apparently possessed the gift of mind reading, Bo shook her head, having the decency to look relatively sheepish while under her roommate's dumbfounded gaze.

Kenzi rolled her eyes and then stared at her nails while adopting a bored tone. "Fine. Got a preference? Indian? Chinese? English? Thai? Mexican? Canadian?" Her eyes lifted to meet Bo's. "People, I mean. Not food."

Bo scowled. It happened rarely, but she was experiencing one of those times when she just wasn't in the mood for Kenzi humour. Of course she'd planned to feed before taking on the Fae they'd been tracking, it was only common sense, but their plans had gone awry and the fight that had ensued had been rather impromptu. Add to that the fact that the muscly bastard had managed to get a couple of good punches in before meeting his well-deserved demise, and Bo was very much paying for neglecting her needs. She felt weak, as though her body was in need of a long sleep, and yet the gnawing urge to feed, her survival instinct, was still wholly intact.

"What?" Kenzi asked as Bo continued to scrutinise her, immediately bringing a hand up to her hair and touching it tentatively, as if checking all was in order. It was only a moment later that realization dawned and indignation adorned her features. "Oh, you are so not sizing me up for food right now," she snapped, eyebrows raised as she noted the hunger clear in Bo's dark brown eyes. "Uh uh. _This_ ," she gestured wildly at herself, "is _not_ on the menu. Besides, look at me. My chi level probably barely registers as a starter." Her eyebrows were now disappearing behind her bangs. "Remember, Bo? The K-Bomb is friend, not food."

Bo sighed heavily. "Size doesn't matter."

Kenzi snorted. "Maybe not to you."

The succubus looked unimpressed. Her hunger was only growing and at such a rate that it was in direct correlation with her decreasing morals. She looked around. Aside from a few parked cars and the now-deceased Fae, it was empty. Given that it was past midnight, that was hardly surprising. She turned to face Kenzi again, who was looking decidedly more unsettled as the seconds passed. Bo would've felt hurt if she hadn't had to drag her own primal needs away from notions of sucking the tiny Russian dry. It wasn't something she could deal with now, but she knew later she'd be burning from the shame of such thoughts. "Kenz," she said, attempting to look reassuring but unable to keep the strain from her face, "You need to go."

Any thought of comedic intervention deserted Kenzi as she heard the tension in Bo's voice, and concern filled her eyes. "I … I can't," she replied in alarm, their victory long forgotten. "I'm not going to leave you, Bo."

"Goddammit, Kenzi! This is not the time for heroics!" Bo retorted, her tone far sharper than she'd intended. Her best friend's face dropped and she could feel guilt prickle at her conscience. "Shit. I'm sorry," she continued, the sincerity evident. "Look, I'm a big girl, Kenz. There's a bar literally two minutes away." As if to prove her point, she began walking, waiting until Kenzi had caught up to speak again. "The best help you can be to me right now is if you go home. Get some sleep. God, I know I'm exhausted."

Kenzi could feel herself wavering – a day running around in five inch fabulous-looking heels now meant that a steaming hot bath was practically crying out her name – but her self-imposed responsibilities as BFF to a succubus meant that she remained resolute. "I can help," she reasoned. "And, you know, I can make sure you don't go so crazy that the next person who catches your eye ends up terminally succubusted."

Bo stopped and turned to stare at her roommate.

Kenzi pulled a reproachful face. "Too harsh?"

Bo closed her eyes for a second. "No. I deserve it." Another ravenous pang swept through her and she carried on walking. "Please, Kenzi," she tried again. "I need you to go. You're … distracting."

About to protest once more, Kenzi paused as she heard what Bo wasn't saying. Continuing to walk beside her friend, she supposed, not for the first time, that this was akin to Kenzi being absolutely starving and Bo being a big giant-ass hamburger following her around. "Aw, tits," she muttered despondently as they turned out of an alley and onto a quiet road. "I'm that giant-ass hamburger!"

Bo was barely paying attention, her mind elsewhere. Never was it more obvious that she wasn't human than when she was hungry and searching for prey. She was sure, if she ever had the chance to study herself in a mirror while in this frame of mind, it would be noticeable. Every muscle tensed, every sense heightened, even the way she held herself was different – more pronounced, more predatory. "What?" she asked Kenzi, aware that she'd spoken but having no idea what had been said.

"I'm the hamburger," she repeated glumly. "You know, like … if I were you, no … if you were me, and you were a ham- you know what? Forget it. Doesn't matter."

"Right."

Kenzi sighed and tugged at the hem of Bo's leather vest before waiting for her roomie to turn around. "Promise me you'll be safe," she requested, her voice unusually serious as she stared at her friend. "And careful." She was awarded with a nod and reciprocated in kind. "Text me, call me … whatever. You need me, you get hold of me, okay?"

Though the smile that pulled at Bo's lips was small, it was genuine, and she pulled Kenzi in for a hug before releasing her less than a second later and taking a hasty step back. "Maybe save the hug for later?"

Her best friend flashed a smile and smoothed down her jacket. "Might be for the best, yeah." With one last smirk and a quick 'Love ya,' Kenzi was gone, and Bo was left alone.

A handful of strangers walked past her, but she quickly deemed them all too risky. Though it was late and the road was relatively quiet, cars were still passing through with a frequency that caused Bo to stick to her original plan of skulking into the nearest bar. She had contemplated calling Dyson – after all, he had apparently given her some sort of chi booster before she'd had to partake in that ridiculous Fae initiation challenge … and his chi …

Bo shook her head as though to try and remove the thought. His chi might have tasted fifty shades of awesome but he'd still kidnapped her and behaved like an absolute asshat. Besides, getting involved with someone who was a) a cop, and b) what appeared to be somewhat close to the Ash was asking for trouble. He'd helped her out, sure, and she was glad she had contact with someone who could possibly get her out of a sticky mess or two in case of emergency, but she was quite convinced that the douche factor outweighed everything else when sizing him as potential.

Down the far end of the road, she could see the pub she'd been heading towards. Suddenly, any conflicting thoughts, dilemmas, emotions flickered into non-existence, only to be replaced with a delicious sense of anticipation intense enough to rival that of any lion about to descend upon their prey. Bowing her head against the wind, all resolutions of self-control were firmly off the table as a smirk settled upon her lips and she marched forward.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Thank you so much for coming, Dr Lewis," the attractive redhead said as she led the way down the hallway and to the front door.

"Lauren, please," the doctor replied with a bright smile. "And it's not a problem. That's what I'm here for." She stepped across the threshold and into the corridor before turning back to the woman and noticing the concern on her face. "Really, Jessica, he'll be fine. I'll come back to check on him in a few days, but, honestly, the best advice I can give him is to maybe leave off on the inventing for a while."

"Thanks, all the same," Jessica said, and her gratitude was clear. "You've taken good care of him. I did have my misgivings …"

Lauren smiled again, and only those who knew her really well would have been able to tell that it looked to be forced. _Was it the fact that I'm human or being a ward of the Ash that gave you your misgivings?_ she thought darkly though her smile remained intact. "I'm glad I could be of help," she answered professionally, before turning and heading to the elevator. Though this wasn't her first time treating a Dark Fae, it was certainly a rare enough occurrence to leave Lauren with a distinct sense of discomfort.

The Light were absolutely convinced of their superiority over the Dark, and Lauren had heard stories of Fae being imprisoned or killed for acquainting themselves with the opposing side. After years of being told of the evil doings of the Morrigan and her minions, Lauren almost felt guilty for coming to their aid, even though it had resulted from direct orders of the Ash. The elevator pinged and the doors opened, and the doctor rolled her eyes at her own ridiculousness.

Lauren was definitely in a unique position in the world, there was no denying that. Not only was she counted among the small selection of humans on the planet to even know about the Fae, but it was entirely possible that she knew more about the genus than any non-Fae did. Heck, she knew more about the genus than most actual Fae did. Being in the position she was, as the highest ranking physician in the Toronto district, meant that she was privy to secrets regarding the highest level of the Light hierarchy. When she'd first pledged servitude to the Light, she'd never have believed that the Ash, the leader of the group of people that staunchly held the belief that the Dark Fae were the scourge of the earth, to engage in handlings with those very beings he protested about.

 _Oh, the simplicity of being naïve,_ she mused, now heading out of the apartment block and out into the night. When she'd been treated to a spontaneous audience with the Ash earlier that day and told that she was to quietly make a home visit to a Dark Fae and treat him like one of their own, Lauren had barely batted an eyelid, the excuse of helping Dyson and Hale on a case rolling easily off her tongue when explaining her quick departure to her employees.

It had been a long day—her first appointment of the day had been 7 a.m.— and Lauren could feel the relief envelop her as she spotted her car parked down the road. With her mind determinedly focussed on the ice-cold beer waiting for her in the fridge, she clumsily tried to fish her keys out of her handbag, looking down at it in frustration when they appeared to have disappeared. Not even a second later she found herself unexpectedly taking a step back, her medical briefcase having been wrenched out of her other hand and now resting precariously on the edge of the sidewalk. An apology already on her lips, she turned to whoever she'd bumped into.

"I am so sorry, I-"

"Oh God," Bo said quickly, also taking a step back as she was jerked rudely from her thoughts. "Crap. I'm sor-" She stopped abruptly when she saw Lauren, her hunger abating temporarily due to the surprise. Her eye caught the black briefcase a good few metres away and she hurried to pick it up. "Lauren," she greeted with a sly smile. "My favourite doctor!"

Lauren's eyes widened slightly, flitting over Bo's face and then giving the brunette a full onceover before she could even stop herself. Yep, just as gorgeous as she remembered. A small smile tugged at her lips without her permission, and it was with every ounce of willpower she owned that she tore her gaze away and tried desperately to remember how her vocal cords worked. "Uh, hi," she replied a moment later, her voice an octave lower than her usual register. Looking back up at Bo through her lashes, her grin broadened, and she tilted her head as she regarded the woman opposite her. "Fancy seeing you here."

"Indeed," Bo almost purred, her eyes dancing mischievously as she drank in the sight of the doctor. Her hunger, having dissipated somewhat after their unexpected encounter, all but roared back into life as Lauren's aura glowed brighter. So, their first meeting hadn't been a one off. The doctor was definitely attracted, and the feeling was definitely mutual. Without thinking, she took a step forward, almost fully closing the gap between them.

Lauren's easy expression faltered, her analytical brain picking up on subtle clues that something wasn't quite right, and she took an automatic step back. Her initial all-too-brief and not entirely professional visual examination hadn't given her any indication of anything out of the ordinary, but there was something she couldn't immediately pinpoint regarding Bo's demeanour that was giving her pause for thought. The doctor within her ultimately winning out, she once again looked Bo up and down in case she'd missed something. Glancing back up into Bo's eyes, her own shone with concern.

"Bo?" she asked cautiously, oblivious to the fact the wind had picked up a notch. She swallowed hard when she noticed the hungry stare she was currently on the receiving end of, and couldn't help feeling a delicious thrill rush through her in direct response. Shit. This was not the time for unruly hormones.

"Yes?" Bo answered lasciviously, almost intoxicated with the tension.

"What's happening? Are you okay?"

The succubus made a point of licking her lips and released a sexy chuckle as she watched Lauren glow brighter. "Never," she took a step forward, "Been," placed a hand on Lauren's hip and reached up to whisper into the doctor's ear, " _Better_."

Lauren's breath caught in her throat as she quickly put her hand on Bo's wrist in an attempt to stop it from exploring further. Good Lord, this was insane. Her heart was hammering now, and she dropped her hand and took another step back, exhaling slowly as she tried to rouse her brain back into action. Forcing herself to look up from the paved sidewalk, she instantly wished she hadn't when her gaze met Bo's and she saw brown eyes turn an electric blue, and her breath came out in a big _whoosh_ as she fought to retain whatever semblance of control she had left. She'd never before found herself in a position where she was genuinely weighing up the merits of what promised to be mind-blowing sex against the downfall of potentially dying, but her arousal and common sense were wrestling for first priority and every sense was in overdrive.

Bo frowned as Lauren moved away again, but before she could continue this little dance they seemed to be in, a thought abruptly came into focus, and instead she stumbled back. _No. Not Lauren_. She didn't know where the thought came from, or what had triggered it, but as soon as those three words formed, she knew them to be true. Emitting a disgruntled moan, she tore her gaze away from the light brown eyes that seemed both alarmed and dangerously lustful. "Fuck," she muttered, bringing a hand up to massage the back of her neck.

It took more than Lauren Lewis would ever care to admit not to reply with a breathless, 'Yes, please.' Instead, she remained silent, not trusting her mouth as she continued to eye Bo intently.

A motorbike roared past them, jolting Bo from her reverie and prompting her into action. "You need to go," she blurted, every word strained. "No. _I_ need to go. I need to go, right now."

"What's going on?" Lauren asked, eyebrows knitting together as she muddled through the near-overwhelming desires of her body to try and make sense of the situation. "You haven't fed? Are you hurt?"

Bo shook her head and made to step around the doctor. "Seriously, Lauren, I need to go."

The wind caused a wayward strand of Lauren's blonde hair to whip across her face and she unconsciously tucked it behind her ear, her frown still in place as she understood the gravity of the situation. "Where are you going? You need to feed, Bo."

Her eyes flashed blue for a second, and the succubus shook her head as though to clear her thoughts. "I know. I will. Look, can we talk some other time? I'm kinda in a rush." Not waiting for a response, she sidestepped the woman in front of her and began stalking down the road, her hunger overriding her patience.

Lauren was left blinking for a long moment before she turned and hurried after the departing brunette. "Um, Bo?"

Bo bit back an expletive as she whirled around on her heel, her eyes narrowed. First Kenzi, now Lauren. What the hell was with everyone tonight? In her current state, Kenzi had been hard enough to resist, but Lauren? "God _dammit_ ," she hissed in frustration. "What?" she continued in a louder voice.

Lauren offered up a quick smile as she approached, purposefully ignoring the incensed expression on Bo's face. "Uh … you have my briefcase."

Bo frowned and looked down. Sure enough, between all the flirting and hunger and everything else, she'd forgotten to hand the metal case back over. "Shit," she cursed, and looked back up to the doctor. "Sorry. I'm … not myself right now." Holding her arm out, she extended her hand and offered Lauren the briefcase.

Lauren walked forward and plucked the handle from between Bo's hand. The black case almost smashed to the ground for the second time that night as their fingers touched, and Lauren gazed at the point of contact and then up at Bo with wide eyes. The doctor was no stranger to sex, attraction, lust … but never had she experienced something so _visceral._ So pronounced. One touch was enough to send her reeling, and it left her more than a tad unnerved. So completely unused to feeling out of control of her own thoughts and reactions, her interactions with Bo left her both fascinated and alarmed. She cleared her throat and cast her eyes heavenward for a moment as she strove to regain her composure.

"Thanks," she said as her fingertips gripped harder against the briefcase. "Oh, and I'm not leaving you, by the way. Not in this state."

Bo rolled her eyes. "Seriously? Did every human get a superhero complex today, or is it just you and Kenzi?" She ignored the inquisitive raised eyebrows directed her way and looked over her shoulder at the bar. She just needed to get there. She didn't have time to talk everybody off the fucking ledge. "Fine," she muttered as she turned back to Lauren, quickly realising it was unlikely she would win the battle, and starting to become so overcome with hunger that she didn't really care. "Just … keep your distance."

Lauren watched Bo glaring at the bar, and she understood immediately her plan. Not entirely sure if she was stretching the truth yet, she nonetheless gave a solemn nod. "Fine," she acquiesced, and the word had barely left her lips before the succubus had resumed her quick pace, Lauren left scrambling to catch up.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Bo was feeling better with every second that passed as she deepened the kiss and felt the chi revitalise her. The bar was positively buzzing given it was a Wednesday night and, as soon as she'd passed through the doors, she'd felt an immediate sense of calm descend upon her. Refusing to look at Lauren—whatever last speck of rationality she was clinging to convinced her that if she risked so much as a glance in the doctor's direction, she wouldn't be able to resist—she instead surveyed the dancing crowd, adrenaline coursing through her veins as she eyed the glow of sexual chi that emanated from each of them. There were a few that were literally pulsating, and she felt her feet move of their own accord, drawing her deeper into the melee of sweaty bodies.

For someone as ravenous as she, Bo was particularly picky as she worked her way through the bar, pressing up against a super-macho bodybuilder and inhaling deeply before retreating and forging forth. She paused in her mission to gyrate against some unwitting person, her blue eyes shining brightly as someone else caught her eye. Bo registered no other details than the woman was blonde and her aura seemed to be literally vibrating with sensuality. No other details were necessary. Striding across the room, she came to a stop in front of the woman in question, a tantalizing smile on her face as she leaned in and pulled the blonde towards her.

Lauren headed to the bar, her eyes fixed on Bo as the succubus got rather close to a particularly beefy guy. A part of her was absolutely fascinated—she'd never had the chance to study a succubus before, and she found the species beyond interesting—and yet she couldn't deny another part of her felt faintly deflated. There was no doubt of the instant attraction between her and Bo, and she could admit—to herself, if no one else—that she had been inexplicably close to throwing caution to the wind and crushing every boundary tonight. Her eyes followed Bo across the dancefloor as she drifted from person to person before apparently setting her sights on someone.

She couldn't help but smirk when she saw Bo make a beeline for the blonde, her stomach doing a lazy flip as she allowed her mind to wonder how Bo's lips would feel mashed against her own. Her thoughts flitted between professional curiosity and definitive inappropriateness as she continued to stare, oblivious to the bartender asking if she was waiting to be served. A few seconds passed, and then a few more, and the doctor was glad that everyone else was far too preoccupied to notice the small but steady stream of blue chi which became visible whenever the two women moved. So enraptured by the vision of a succubus feeding was Lauren, she initially paid not one bit of attention to the person on the receiving end. Suddenly, though, she observed the blonde's hand slip from Bo's shoulder and she felt a sudden surge of panic.

Berating herself for her stupidity, she pushed herself from the bar and quickly wound her way through the dancing bodies and the array of tables and chairs that were dotted around. The blonde's arm fell completely now to hang limply at her side, and Lauren cursed under her breath. As soon as she was close enough, she placed a hand on Bo's upper arm—very toned, she hated herself for noting—and squeezed, gently at first but then more insistently. Stepping closer, she placed her briefcase at her feet and inconspicuously brought her now-free hand up to the blonde's throat, holding her own breath as she checked for a pulse. She exhaled quickly when she felt it, slower than it should be, but very much there. Giving Bo's arm another squeeze, she made to try and pull the succubus away.

"What?" Bo snapped as she wrenched herself away from the woman in her arms and turned to fix her gaze on whoever dared interrupt her. Upon seeing Lauren, her expression changed from anger to complete confusion as she looked at the doctor, over to the blonde, and back again, appearing utterly bewildered.

"Bo, you need to stop," Lauren explained, trying hard to look thoroughly unruffled even as Bo's blazing blues bore into her. She stopped when she saw the brunette frown. "What?" she asked gently, her own brow furrowing in concern. "What is it?"

Bo turned back to the unknown blonde who was now lolling happily against her, a wide, if dazed, smile on her face. Disentangling herself, she flashed the woman a smile of her own as she led her over to the nearest chair and helped her sit. Straightening up, she quickly glanced around the bar, glad to see everybody busy with their own thing. Her back to Lauren, her eyes closed as she felt the doctor's hand on her shoulder. There was not a chance in hell she was about to admit that it had been Lauren she'd been thinking about as she fed, that when she'd been ripped from her ministrations, she'd felt completely disorientated after turning and coming face-to-face with the woman she'd been fantasizing about. Shaking her head, she opened her eyes.

"Bo?"

Bo rotated on the spot and greeted Lauren with a smile. "It's nothing," she replied over the music. "Sometimes I just … zone out, I guess." Her previous exhaustion had evaporated and she could feel the more human part of herself kick in. She cast her gaze at the stranger she'd fed on once more, the smile dying on her lips, her brown eyes widening as she really took note of the blonde's depleted frame. Her heart began to race, the all-too-familiar feeling of regret causing her stomach to sink as she stared at the smiling woman for a long moment. _If Lauren hadn't been here …_ It didn't bear thinking about. She didn't notice her foot starting to tap agitatedly against the wooden floor, only felt the yearning she'd become accustomed to in the past ten years; the urge to run away.

She could feel Lauren's eyes upon her and looked over with an unconvincing smile. "Thank you … for …" Her gaze dropped to the floor. "Well, you know. Thanks."

The doctor nodded, expression still troubled. It didn't take a genius to see that Bo was currently struggling with some inner demons. "Don't worry about it," she dismissed with a light shrug before reaching down to pick up her briefcase. Standing back up straight, she opened her mouth only to close it again. Bringing a hand up to her temple, she rubbed it for a second. "Listen, do you want to get out of here?" she eventually asked, finally overcoming any hesitations when she realised Bo was about to bolt.

In the middle of distractedly eyeing the exit, Lauren's question pulled Bo up short and she looked over in confusion.

It dawned on Lauren that she had just used one of the most clichéd chat-up lines known to man, and if she had been prone to blushing, she had no doubt her face would be aflame. Using the tip of her tongue to rest against her upper lip, she raised her eyes to the ceiling before releasing a low chuckle and raking a hand through her hair. "I didn't mean … I …" She sighed, starting to become infuriated with her apparent digression into an awkward teenager. "Okay, let's try that again. I _meant_ do you want to go and find somewhere to eat? Or, you know, I have beer back at mine. If you'd like."

Momentarily reprieved of her guilt, Bo arched her eyebrows and regarded Lauren carefully. "Don't you have work tomorrow?"

The doctor smiled, her brown eyes warm. "I have the morning off. And, anyway, after the past few hours, I could really do with a beer. By the looks of it, you could do with one, too."

Bo was about to refuse when she paused. She had two options. She could a) go with Lauren and delay the inevitable guilt-fest that was waiting patiently to attack, or b) go back to the crack shack, where Kenzi was asleep, and torment herself over her own failings immediately. "Okay," she relented with a genuine smile, suddenly feeling much more chipper than she had mere moments before. "A beer sounds amazing. And who am I to refuse doctor's orders?"


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you so much for those who have responded to my ramblings so far, I genuinely really appreciate it. I'll admit to feeling a bit unsure of myself in regards to this story - I think I'm still finding my footing after not writing for a while - and I'm actually finding it quite difficult to gauge if I'm doing okay or writing completely out of character, which is so annoying, especially because it's one of my biggest pet peeves when reading stories myself. All of this is to basically say that any constructive criticism would be very gratefully accepted and would result in my eternal gratitude! Anyway, I hope whoever reads this enjoys it.

* * *

Chapter Four

Bo and Lauren walked back down the road to the car in companionable silence. The sidewalk was mostly deserted now and the wind had died down, revealing the night air to actually be rather warm. Up above, an almost full moon shone brightly, bathing them in light. Lauren delved back into her handbag to retrieve her keys and pressed a button on the fob to unlock the car.

Bo arched an eyebrow as the sleek, obviously expensive, car came into view. "Nice wheels," she commented once settled in the passenger seat and throwing Lauren a smile.

Lauren grinned as she inserted a key into the ignition and blindly reached behind her for her seatbelt. "Not bad, is it?"

Bo thought of her own, recently acquired, beaten up Camaro fondly. "Eh. It's all right," she teased, nudging Lauren with her elbow and releasing a laugh when she saw the doctor grin. They lapsed into silence for a couple of minutes, Lauren concentrating on the road and Bo concentrating on Lauren. They pulled up at a red light and the succubus whipped her head to look through the windshield when Lauren caught her openly staring.

Lauren smirked and returned her eyes forward.

The lights quickly turned green and Bo cleared her throat. "So where do you live, anyway?"

"In the Light compound."

Bo looked horrified and turned back to the doctor. "What, like in the lab? Or … do they have a room for you or something?"

Lauren chuckled and cast a quick amused glance at her companion. "Close," she replied. "I have an apartment directly above the lab."

"Huh," Bo said. That definitely made more sense. "Quite the short commute, then."

"Eh. It's all right," Lauren answered, mimicking Bo's earlier words and flashing the succubus a smile.

Bo rolled her eyes and then realised she was staring at the doctor again. Disconcerted, she moved to stare out of the passenger window instead. The last time she'd been driven to the Light Fae compound, she'd had a hood over her head and was in the back of a van. Now she paid attention. Red traffic lights aside, the journey was a fairly quick one given that it was the middle of the night and most sane people would be in their beds. Without even knowing quite how it happened, the thought of beds caused her mind to suddenly focus on Lauren's bed. With Lauren lying on top of it. Naked. Bo shook her head in exasperation.

Paranoid that Lauren might somehow know about the rather graphic thoughts racing through her mind, Bo coughed quietly. "Isn't the Ash going to mind you bringing someone who is unaligned to your apartment?"

Turning left down another road, Lauren was quiet for a few moments. "I'm sure he would be displeased," she conceded finally. Her eyes flicked up to the rearview mirror and then briefly over to Bo before returning to the road, her fingers hitting the indicator switch. "Why? Are you planning on telling him?"

Bo's eyebrows shot up. "Are you planning on _not_ telling him?"

Lauren steered the car right. "I can't see why it would come up in conversation." She slowed to a crawl and then a stop, lowering her window and reaching her left hand out to press her index finger against the security panel. It glowed green, and she deftly typed in a code. A second later, the large white garage door in front of them opened silently and Lauren drove inside.

"Aren't there gonna be, like … guards everywhere?" Bo asked as Lauren cut off the engine.

The doctor didn't answer until they were both out of the car. Leading the way to the nearest wall, she came to a standstill and waited for Bo. "No guards in this part of the compound," she explained, though apparently not enough if Bo's curious expression was anything to go by. Glancing at the wall, she placed a hand on what seemed to be a random brick. She looked back at the succubus and grinned broadly when she saw Bo's jaw drop in response to the wall simply melting away. "This is the main entrance to the living quarters," she said as she stepped forward into a rather spacious corridor with two elevators.

Surprise still rang clear on Bo's face as she looked around. By the time her eyes had landed on the spot through whence they came, all she could see was a sturdy looking wall. "Whoaaa," she said, the awe evident in her voice. "If Kenzi saw this, she would die."

Lauren's eyes twinkled. "Yeah, it took me a while to get used to." She chuckled when she saw Bo touch the wall and sigh in disappointment when it didn't move an inch. "You've got to touch a certain place," she grinned. "And it only permits access if your handprint is in the system database."

"This is some Matrix-style shit."

"It certainly feels that way sometimes," the doctor admitted. "If you turn left at the end of this corridor, though, you'll find the pedestrian exit that leads right out by the garage door. That's much easier to navigate. You just need to punch in the code and you're done."

"Er, not to be contrary or anything, but isn't that a little _too_ easy?"

"Well, the door is made of reinforced steel and is completely impenetrable from the outside. In fact, it's completely invisible from the outside, too. The security here really is quite good." She turned her attention to the elevators and approached the one on the right. Pressing the button caused what had looked to be a fuse box of some kind to open, and she walked closer, leaning forward until her face was mere centimetres from whatever was contained within. A red laser moved slowly from left to right and then the box, apparently satisfied, closed in on itself once more. "Retina scanning," Lauren said as the elevator doors opened. Upon entering, she waited for Bo to do the same before pressing one of the buttons.

Bo shook her head. "So that's a fingerprint, a code, a magic wall, an invisible door and a retina scan? Wow. I totally understand the whole 'no guard' thing now."

"Yep. And the codes change at least twice a week. Sometimes more. Same with the brick in the wall. These living quarters are some of the safest in Canada," Lauren stated with a nod. "There are only ever guards here if we receive intelligence about an imminent attack, but that's not often. See, you can only access the apartments through this entrance. There's another way, but that is always guarded because you can also reach the rest of the compound."

"Ah," Bo replied, trying to process the information. A look at the elevator screen showed that they were moving quickly up the floors. "So, which floor does the Ash live on, then?"

Lauren's face turned instantly serious as she regarded the brunette gravely. "If I told you that, I would have to kill you," she deadpanned, though the corners of her lips quirked up in an involuntarily smile when she noted Bo's alarmed look. "Kidding!" she smirked, quickly sidestepping the swat on her arm that Bo was aiming for. The elevator came to a stop and opened up to another brightly lit corridor. "The Ash's quarters are on the other side of the compound, and every inch is surrounded by guards."

"Oh," Bo responded succinctly, following Lauren to the furthest end of the corridor.

Lauren unlocked the door and opened it, stepping back and gesturing for Bo to go inside. Following the brunette, she quickly turned on the light, flooding the place in light. "Welcome to my abode," she grinned, walking over to her desk and propping the black briefcase against it. Shrugging out of her brown leather jacket, she draped it over the back of the chair and bent over to unzip her boots. "Don't just stand there," she warmly scolded as she observed Bo still positioned by the door. She gestured to the couch. "Make yourself comfortable. I'll grab us both a beer."

Bo automatically stepped forward, her eyes drawn to the paintings on the wall as she approached the couch and sank down into it. On top of the oak stump/table nearest to her was a lamp that she deduced either intentionally represented a vagina or was designed by one super oblivious artist, and she stared at it dumbly for a few seconds before realising Lauren was stood next to her with a proffered beer. She gave an embarrassed smile as she snagged the bottle by its neck and lifted it to her lips, her eyes still wide as they travelled across the room and then back to the lamp. "Okay then," she said after swallowing the beer and simply sparing a moment to wonder at how good it tasted. "This might be the gayest apartment I've ever been in. And I've been in a _lot_ of apartments."

Lauren bit down on her lip to prevent a smile. "Ah, but is it gay or just a highly attuned appreciation of art?"

Bo pretended to consider this for a moment. "At the very least, it's both," she concluded, a smile clear her in eyes.

"I'll accept that," Lauren replied begrudgingly, taking another swig of refreshing beer and shifting so she could fold one leg under herself. Resting the bottle on her knee, she flipped her hair over her shoulder and contemplated her guest speculatively.

It was only after a good thirty seconds of staring at one of the paintings of a naked woman that Bo realised that Lauren's attention was solely on her. She looked over and tried to ignore the immediate spark of desire that washed over her. Her eyes quickly dropped to her lap, her fingers busying themselves with the label on the beer bottle, before, like a magnet, her gaze was once more drawn to the doctor's. "What?" she eventually asked.

Lauren's eyes didn't waver. "I was just wondering when you were going to tell me what happened tonight," she replied honestly.

"Oh. That."

"Yeah," Lauren nodded, her expression expectant. " _That_."

Bo took a sip of her drink, internally wondering how, and where, to start. Deciding that the briefest explanation was the best, she gave a purposefully nonchalant shrug. "I got in a fight with a Fae. He lost. I … was hungry. And, well … you know the rest."

Lauren cocked an eyebrow. "What kind of Fae?"

"A Crocotta," Bo replied, nodding sagely when she saw Lauren's eyes widen. "Yeah. I know."

"How on earth did you manage that?" Lauren almost sounded impressed. "Crocotta are notoriously famed for their solitude and anti-social tendencies. I've never come across one before."

"You'd never come across one of me before, either. Remember?"

The doctor grinned and raised her eyes to the ceiling before pinning Bo with her gaze again. "I remember perfectly," she assured, her eyes flitting across Bo's face before meeting her amused look. "In all seriousness, though, I'm intrigued. What happened?"

"Well, I've become quite the celebrity after refusing to choose a side," Bo said with an irritated roll of the eyes. "Gossip spreads like wildfire in the Fae world, apparently."

"Ah."

"Yep. I mean, I was warned to fear for my life if I chose to remain unaligned. No one mentioned that I would automatically become an agony aunt for desperate Fae." She paused to take a swig of her beer. "Anyway, long story short, this woman—a Selkie—found me, and …" Recalling the conversation that had taken place between them still caused the succubus to shudder, and her fingers resumed trying to peel off the obstinate beer label. "He tortured and killed her mother. She went to the Morrigan, but she refused to believe a Crocotta was in town. Enter moi. Kenzi hacke-" She stopped and offered a bashful smile. "Kenzi did her thing, and we found out there'd been six similar attacks in the past three weeks."

Thoroughly transfixed, Lauren raised her eyebrows. "And then?"

Bo shrugged. "We found a pattern in his killings and used it to find his hide-out spot. I won't go into detail about that particular day, except to say it involved a sewer, nose plugs and a three-hour-long bath." The disgust was clear on her face. "Kenzi has only just forgiven me. And today we were supposed to track him, but he must have sensed something because he lured us into an empty parking lot and then turned on us. It was pretty rough."

"The Crocotta are known for their strength and savagery," Lauren said with an incredulous shake of her head. "How did you escape unharmed?"

"I said he lost. I didn't say I walked away without a scratch."

Lauren frowned. "What did he do? Are you fully healed now?"

Bo stared at her bottle, the label now hanging on by a scrap. "Almost as good as new," she answered breezily.

The doctor wasn't convinced. "Let me see."

Bo sighed. "Honestly, I'm fine."

"Which I'm sure I could see for myself if you would just show me," Lauren retorted in a no-nonsense voice.

"God, does the doctor in you ever shut off?"

"Afraid not. Show me, Bo. Now."

Bo exhaled loudly, suddenly resembling a sulky teenager as she shot Lauren a reproachful look. The doctor remained unmoved, and so she reluctantly put her beer on the table and stood.

"Thank you," Lauren said, her tone much softer. Placing her bottle next to Bo's, she rose to her feet and moved closer. Forcing herself to focus on the task at hand, her eyes skimmed down the brunette's bare arms, over her exposed collarbone and up along her throat. She could see no visible injuries. Her gaze lingered on Bo's jaw for a fraction too long and she cleared her throat quietly. "Are you still in pain?" she asked, her voice slightly lower than usual.

"Only a little bit."

"Where?"

Not at all ashamed of her body, Bo immediately reached for the hem of her leather vest and pulled it up a few inches.

Determined to remain professional, Lauren crouched down and examined the skin. The torso was largely unblemished, though there looked to be a faded bruise on the left side of Bo's ribcage. She leaned closer and then brought her fingertips up to gently prod it. The pained gasp she elicited caused her to look up in concern. "I'm sorry," she apologised, her forehead creasing slightly. "I guess the woman at the bar wasn't enough, hey?"

Bo released her breath slowly. "Not quite. But it's a lot better than it was."

Lauren turned back to the contusion and, after a couple of seconds of intense scrutiny, nodded to herself. About to stand back up, something caught her eye and her frown deepened. Running the very tip of her index finger across the tear on the outer thigh of Bo's leather pants, she glanced up inquisitively. "What's this?" Not quick enough to predict her patient's next movement, their fingers brushed as Bo reached down to feel for herself. Lauren reacted as though she'd just come into contact with a direct flame, dropping her hand quickly while desperately trying to act casual.

Bo simply smiled, though it faded as she felt the torn fabric again. "I don't know. I thought he'd gotten a good kick in, or something, but …" Without really thinking about it, Bo unfastened her pants and pulled them down to her knees, leaning over to get a look and missing Lauren's almost comical agonised expression. "He knifed me!" Bo exclaimed as she saw the faint pink line on her thigh. "What an asshole!"

Trying to ignore the fact that her face was now mere inches away from Bo's black lacy underwear, Lauren studied the mark and gave another nod. "It's certainly indicative of a stab wound," she murmured, skimming her fingers over the pink tissue.

Bo inhaled sharply at the contact and briskly moved away, grasping the waistline of her pants and yanking them up. Doggedly ignoring the spike of lust flooding through her body, she swore under her breath as her fingers fumbled with the fastener. "How … how did I not notice I'd been stabbed?" she asked, partly out of genuine curiosity, mostly out of a dire need to keep the conversation on track.

Lauren straightened up, all too aware that her pulse was racing, and reached for her beer before sinking back into the couch. Very much grateful for Bo's question, she grabbed it and ran with it. "Epinephrine," she responded without hesitation. "It's a very common reaction in situations like that."

"Epin-what now?"

"Sorry. Adrenaline," she explained. "You hear of these stories all the time. Epinephrine is released by the adrenal medulla, usually in response to stress. It's quite incredible, really. See, it's triggered by the sympathetic nervous system and operates by decreasing smooth muscle contractions and increasing the heartrate." Quite happy with this line of questioning in a field she felt very secure in, Lauren became more animated. "Once the epinephrine is released, noradrenaline and adrenaline bind adrenergic receptors on peripheral tissues, which, in turn, causes the fight-or-flight response. That's why so many people who have been injured during battle or find themselves in danger can be quite severely wounded without even realising. It's all part of the body's survival mechanism."

Bo blinked a couple of times. Fuck. How had she lived to be 28 without having learnt that geek speak was one powerful fucking aphrodisiac? She had not one clue what Lauren was saying, but, holy shit, it was hot. So caught up in this unexpected epiphany was Bo that she didn't realise straightaway that it was her turn to add to the conversation. Eternally grateful to whoever might be listening that her own levels of sexual arousal weren't on display for Lauren to see, she exhaled slowly and racked her brains for something that sounded semi-intelligent. "Oh, right." _Tool_ , she silently bemoaned.

Lauren just grinned. "Sorry. I tend to get a little over-excited when it comes to things like this."

"Tell me about it," Bo rued before she could bite her tongue. Eyes widening as she heard the words leave her lips, she quickly drained the last of her beer.

The doctor followed suit and then got to her feet. "Another?" she asked, flashing a brilliant smile when she saw Bo nod. Retrieving two more bottles from the refrigerator, she headed back to the couch, pretending not to notice that Bo's eyes were apparently glued to her approaching frame even as another blazing burst of lust caused her heart to accelerate. Handing one of the beers to her guest, she sat back down, curling both legs beneath her as she got comfortable.

Bo accepted the drink gratefully, gripping it tightly in one hand as she regarded the rim of the bottle intently, her expression thoughtful and her brow slightly furrowed. Biting the inside of her lip, her mind was drawn back to her first encounter with Lauren, just over two weeks ago, when her entire world had been turned on its head as she'd found out what she was. Since then, she'd caught herself recounting their conservation again and again as she tried to adjust to a world she previously hadn't even known existed. There was one point in particular she had returned to more than once, especially during times like these. Appearing uncharacteristically unsure of herself, she looked up at Lauren only to drop her gaze back to the bottle when she noticed the doctor's warm brown eyes studying her.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Bo sighed before peering back up at the blonde. "You know when we first met?"

Lauren ducked her head as a shy smile played across her lips. "As if I could forget," she replied honestly. "I never did get to congratulate you on passing the … exam, by the way. They rarely use that method anymore, I've only ever witnessed three other Fae be subjected to it and, well …" A dark look passed over her face before she smiled again and raised her bottle. "You are very …" She paused as she searched for the correct phrasing. "Impressive."

"Thanks," Bo said distractedly. "But, um, I was wondering …"

"Yes?"

"You said you could help me 'control' the whole succubus thing. Did you … I mean, does that … what does that mean exactly? Hypothetically speaking."

"Hypothetical, huh?" Lauren responded after a beat, staring at Bo for another long moment and then turning her focus to her beer. She took a large swig, then balanced the bottle on her thigh. Her hair spilled over her shoulders and she raked her hand through it. "Okay," she acquiesced with a small nod of her head. "Hypothetically speaking, I think it would come down to me treating you with regular injections that should help curb your … appetite."

Bo cast the doctor an incredulous look. "Injections?" she asked, the word ringing with scepticism. "An _injection_ is what's going to cure me of being a walking, talking, chi-sucking, killing machine?"

Lauren grinned in the face of Bo's obvious disbelief. "Don't underestimate the power of science," she advised. "Anyway, it's not a cure. I told you, you are a perfect specimen of your species. The injections would just, hopefully, put a dampener on the intensity of your hunger." She leaned closer, her eyes lighting up as she warmed to the subject. "You would still need to feed, of course, but with the right help and some practise, there is absolutely no reason to believe you wouldn't be able to learn how to control it."

Absentmindedly running the tip of her pinky finger around the rim of her beer bottle, Bo was silent for a couple of minutes as she allowed the information to sink in. The very possibility of being able to feed without leaving a trail of destruction in her wake was more appealing than she'd ever be able to articulate, though she fought to beat the small streak of hope that had somehow blossomed into submission. She turned to Lauren, still not completely satisfied. "How do you know all of this?"

"I read a lot of books," the doctor teased gently. " _And_ I briefly tended to an Incubus a while back. I formulated the injections and it worked, for the most part. Hence the still needing to feed; the injections didn't allow him to heal."

Bo nodded slowly and took a mindless sip of her beer. "Were there side-effects?"

"No, with the exception of the being unable to heal without feeding. But, again, that isn't really a side-effect, per se. We were simply aiming to provide him with the tools to manage his hunger, not cure it."

Bo exhaled slowly, her mind racing with the sudden influx of knowledge imparted. Her eyes never left Lauren's, and her vulnerability shone through as she visibly gathered up the courage to ask her next question. "Would you help me?"

Lauren pressed her lips together, the conflicting emotions evident on her expressive face. "Bo, I …"

"Please?" Bo implored, the desperation clear her in voice. "You saw how close I came to killing that woman. What about next time? What if you're not there? What if I spend the rest of my life unable to stop myself?"

Lauren sighed, exhaustion sneaking up from out of nowhere and slamming into her. She scrutinised Bo extensively as she internally warred with herself, and then released another heavy sigh. "You do realise the risk I'd be taking if I agreed to this, yes? The Light and Dark are sworn enemies and, in their eyes, you've come into the race and denounced their rules and politics completely. It's … it's …"

"I know," Bo interjected quietly. "I know. And I'm really sorry."

Lauren brought a hand up to rub at her forehead. Was Bo worth the danger she would be undoubtedly be putting herself in if she agreed? _Yes_ , she thought vehemently, still concerned about possible reprisals but suddenly certain of what she had to do. If someone asked her to explain how she could come to be so sure about it, about putting everything on the line for a woman she had only met twice, she knew she'd never be able to answer. It was just a gut feeling, and Dr Lewis rarely relied on only her gut for anything. Somehow, this was different. Leaning over to place her drink on the table, she scooted closer to Bo, leaving only a small gap between them.

"The Ash can never know about this," she said, her voice low and the silent plea apparent in her eyes. "I mean it, Bo."

Bo's mouth fell open and it was a couple of seconds before she remembered how to close it again. Surprise coloured her features as she stared at the woman seated beside her. "You … you'll help me?" A bright smile lit up her face when the doctor nodded. "Thank you!" she exclaimed, placing her hand on Lauren's arm. "I really, _really_ appreciate this."

Bo's grin was infectious, and Lauren smiled in spite of herself. "I know," she said softly, feeling another wave of tiredness wash over her. Stretching her back, she reached up to massage the back of her neck. "We'll get started on this tomorrow," she promised, "But right now, I need to sleep."

The succubus retracted her hand and quickly got to her feet, her grin not quite leaving her lips. "Yeah, of course," she was quick to reassure.

Lauren glanced out of the window and frowned. "Do you want to stay here tonight?" she asked as she turned back to Bo. "You can take my bed. I'm fine on the couch."

"No, no." Bo shook her head. "If I'm not home in the morning, Kenzi will probably think I've been arrested or something, and I would not put it past her to have a plan in action to try and break me out by midday." She felt giddy, happier than she'd felt in a very long time. The prospect of gaining control of her life was intoxicating.

Lauren frowned. "It's late. Or early, depending on how you look at it. At the very least, let me call you a taxi."

Bo chuckled. "I'm a _succubus_ , Lauren. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to defend myself if anyone tries anything. And, honestly, the clubhouse is closer than I thought. I'll be home in no time."

"Yes, but-"

Bo placed a hand on Lauren's bicep. "I'll be fine. I promise. Give me your number and I'll text you when I get in if that makes you feel any better."

Rapidly determining that Bo could be just as stubborn as she, Lauren reluctantly surrendered, waiting for the brunette to retrieve her phone before reciting her cell number and then giving her the code to the door on the ground floor. "Come by the lab tomorrow, say noon?"

"That sounds perfect," Bo smiled, her eyes sparkling. Walking to the door, she opened it and turned back to Lauren. "I'm sorry for keeping you up so late."

Lauren grinned. "Don't be. It was … nice."

"Yeah. It was." Bo gazed at Lauren for a few seconds before stepping through the door and out into the corridor. "Night, Doc," she said quietly, looking over her shoulder with a smirk before squaring her shoulders and striding toward the elevators.

Lauren watched her until she disappeared and then stepped back and closed the door. Resting against it for a moment, she shook her head as she thought of the events that had transpired in the recent hours. "Goodnight, Bo," she murmured, reaching up to turn off the light and tiredly dragging herself up to bed.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thank you so much for the continuing support, I can't tell you how grateful I am for the ongoing encouragement.

* * *

Chapter Five

"Okay, hold the phone and shut the front door," Kenzi finally interrupted from the other side of the breakfast bar, raising a hand in an attempt to quell Bo's excited babble. Not even having had the chance yet to finish her first mandatory coffee of the day, she really was trying to be a good friend and listen to Bo's description of the previous night's events, but the succubus was bumbling around like a bee on crack and Kenzi was struggling to follow. "Why don't we dial down the crazy by about, oh, I don't know, a _bazillion_ notches," she ignored Bo's indignant glare, "and let this teeny tiny sleepy human try and catch a ride on whatever the hell happy train you're on."

Bo narrowed her eyes before bringing her mug to her lips and taking a sip. "Rude, much?"

"Oh, honeychild, don't even bother pretending you don't love it," Kenzi retorted with wide eyes. "So, to recap," she continued, bringing up a fist and sticking a thumb out, "No one died?"

"Nope," Bo answered, her irritated expression suddenly replaced with a dreamy smile as she added, "Thanks to Lauren."

Kenzi skipped past that comment and unfurled her index finger. "You're pretty much healed?"

"Yep. Pretty much."

Pausing in her bullet point quick-fire round, Kenzi shook her head. "Dude, I still can't believe Sir Belch-A-Lot stabbed you. I mean, that's a low blow, right? A really low blow. Douche could've knocked you on your ass with one vom-inducing burp, but no. Fae don't play fair." She drained the last of her coffee and smacked her lips together. "For reals, though. Y'all got your fancy-assed powers, it's just plain _rude_ to bring outside weapons into the mix. Leave those to us mere mortals, amirite?" She looked expectantly at Bo and then frowned as she noticed her best friend's bemused smirk. Eyes travelling down to the counter between them, she took note of the scabbard, sword and axe parked neatly next to the coffee pot. Her expression faltered. "Unless it's _you_ , of course, and then I'm all … 'Yay! Go Bo!'"

Bo rolled her eyes affectionately. "Nice save."

"Yeah," Kenzi gave a demure nod. "I thought so. Anyway, where were we? No one ended up in the morgue, the chi-suckage did its thing … oh, right." She extended her middle finger. "And _you_ ended up at the Light Fae doctor's apartment and spilled your guts about our top-secret, totally unaligned, operation." She looked thoroughly unimpressed as she reached for the coffee pot and poured herself another.

Bo proffered her mug and waited for it to be refilled before replying. "Lauren is … different," she said earnestly. "We can trust her. And you forgot the most important part, by the way; she's going to help me with my hunger! You're going to be able to stop crapping yourself whenever you see that look in my eye!"

Kenzi pursed her lips and stared hard at her mug. "Hmm."

"'Hmm'? What does 'hmm' mean?"

Kenzi released her breath slowly and brought her eyes up to meet her roommate's. "Oh, Bo-Bo. I _adore_ you, really, I do—you know you're my sister from another mister, the platonic love of my life—but you are so, _so_ adorkably naïve sometimes, it breaks my ice-cold Russian heart."

"What?"

Resting her chin in the palm of her hand, Kenzi regarded her friend patiently. "Holy crap-ola, where do I start?" she mused before taking a deep breath and forging forth. "This Lauren not only works for the Light, she works directly for the _Ash_. You remember him, right? He got two of his little puppets to kidnap you and then watched as gross-dude-who-looked-like-a-cheap-rent-Voldemort tried to mush your brain?"

"Yes, but-"

"Not only that, but she's _human_. I mean, what the actual fuck is that about? Fae hate humans, so how the hell is she, like, head-honcho doctor, or whatever? It doesn't make sense."

"Well …"

" _And_ , nothing, and I do mean nothing, comes without a price. Unless you employ the good old five-fingered discount, but that so doesn't apply in this situation. So why, exactly, is she helping you? For _free_?" Kenzi leaned forward and reached for Bo's hand. "Honey, if I thought that this was legit I would be all up in that shit faster than you could say 'Kenzi, get all up in that shit,' but you don't spend as long as I have kicking it on the streets without getting some smarts, you know what I'm saying?"

Bo scowled and moved her hand away. "You haven't even met her!" she remarked, folding her arms as she stared at her roomie. "She stopped me from killing that woman last night. And she could have gotten in so much trouble for sneaking me into her apartment. Plus, she made me promise not to breathe a word about helping me. Seriously, Kenz-"

"Oh, great. So not only is she a human Light Fae doctor, she's a crazy rulebreaker, too? Because none of this screams disaster, at all, does it?"

"God, Kenzi! Can't you just be happy for me? You have _no_ idea what it's like to wake up every morning terrified that today might be the day you add someone else to the list of people you've killed! And finally, after all of these years, someone is actually offering to help me. Would it kill you to be a bit more supportive?"

Usually always ready with a quick reply, Kenzi was left appropriately stunned and feeling suitably chagrined as she raised both hands in an act of surrender.

Not able to decipher if it was due to the heady excitement she felt about today or if Kenzi just had a knack for defusing a situation, Bo nevertheless softened. "I know you're trying to protect me, and I appreciate it, but …"

"I'll shaddap me face," Kenzi replied apologetically, pressing her lips together tightly. "Oh, but-"

"Ah!" Bo interjected, expression amused as she stared at her friend pointedly.

Kenzi rolled her eyes. "Come o-"

"Hey!"

"You don't really-"

"Shh!"

"You are so not funny," the tiny Russian grumbled, shaking her head dolefully as Bo made to silence her again. "Really not funny," she emphasised as she reached for her mug and brought it to her mouth. "Actually kinda mean," she finished before flashing her trademark grin and taking a hearty swig of her delicious coffee.

* * *

Sitting on one of her stools in the kitchen, Lauren was enjoying her fruit salad immensely, popping a forkful of honeydew melon into her mouth and emitting an appreciative moan as it tickled at her taste buds. Due to her unexpected late night, she'd slept in this morning, but she still found herself with just over an hour left before she had to be down in the lab to greet Bo. She felt a small knot of dread in the pit of her stomach when she thought about what she had agreed to last night and yet she couldn't bring herself to regret it. Maybe it had been seeing Bo in action, mere seconds away from killing the unknown woman in the bar, maybe it had been seeing the anguish on Bo's face as she begged for help regarding something that really wasn't her fault, maybe it was something else, but, accidental or not, Lauren found herself invested, and it was far too late to back out now.

Her eyes flitted over to the digital clock on her stove as she continued eating her breakfast and she was in such a world of her own that, when her cell rang a moment later, she almost choked on a grape. Reaching for her water and taking a hasty swig, she cleared her throat while bringing the phone to her ear, too preoccupied to check the caller ID. "Hello?"

"Hey, Doc."

Lauren grinned. "What do you want?"

Dyson made an offended noise. "Is that any way to talk to your pal? Your homie?"

"Good Lord," the doctor chuckled. "You are over a thousand years old and you think it's okay to use the word 'homie'?"

"I don't know what it is you are trying to insinuate, Dr Lewis, but I am most certainly hip. And very badass."

"Okay, wolfy," Lauren smirked as she chased another grape around her bowl with the fork. "Whatever you say."

Dyson and Hale had been two of the very first people Lauren had met upon her arrival at the Light compound, but it hadn't been until the third Fae investigation she'd been called upon to cast her expertise that a friendship had formed. In a freakish set of events that resulted in Hale and Dyson being cornered by a Wendigo, Lauren had come into the spotlight armed with enough sedatives to bring down a particularly energetic herd of elephants and had very much been the hero. From that moment, the police officers had looked at her in a new light and a foundation had been set between them that consisted of mutual respect and understanding. Three years later, and it was a rarity if they didn't see each other regularly, both in and out of work, and the men were in the very exclusive club of being counted as two of Lauren's few friends.

"I say I'm badass," Dyson repeated staunchly, sounding utterly ridiculous. "Shit," he said a second later, his voice now so quiet that Lauren had to strain to hear. "I said that a bit too loud. I'm at the precinct and the chief just turned to stare at me."

Lauren laughed. "Well, it serves you right. You _know_ that Hale is the cool one. Stop trying. Just accept it." Bowl now empty, she slid from the stool and carried it over to the sink. "Anyway, what _do_ you want? I've got to be down in the lab in less than an hour and I want to do a little bit of research before I leave."

"Oh, right. That. Hale's out running errands, but he said he was planning on swinging by the compound to drop off that autopsy report I told you about yesterday?" He waited for Lauren to make a noise of recognition before continuing. "You still okay to give it a look over today? I just want to know if my gut is right."

"No problem," Lauren replied, crossing the room and sinking down into her desk chair. "But you know you have to keep your end of the bargain." She suppressed a smile as she heard the shifter groan. "You have been putting off this physical for far too long. I'll be the one to get it in the neck, you know, if all of my paperwork isn't up to date."

"I know, I know," Dyson muttered, sounding remarkably akin to a petulant child. "God. The things I do for you."

Lauren shook her head. "Don't even try to pretend that you're doing this for me," she shot back. "I know for a fact that Ciara's been going on at you for weeks now."

"Oh, shit. She's put you up to this, hasn't she?"

"Partly. But, also, I really do hate not having my paperwork up to date." She grinned into the phone as she heard him sigh loudly in protest. "Shall I buy you a bone? A bone and a new toy? Will that get you here with fewer complaints?"

"No," Dyson replied grumpily. "Your professional input on the autopsy report will be enough, I suppose."

"Good to know," came the breezy reply. "Shall we say five?"

"I guess."

"Great. I'll see you then. Oh, and Dyson?"

"Yeah?"

" _Such_ a badass," she smiled, hanging up before he had a chance to reply. Immediately bringing up the message function, she quickly sent a text to Ciara informing her that their mission had been accomplished. Setting her phone back on the desk, a glance at the clock on her laptop screen informed her that she had just over fifty minutes left, and she settled down to read the last of her notes regarding the Incubus she had previously treated.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Kenzi exhaled loudly, her fingertips trailing against the edge of a worktop as she walked aimlessly across the room. The lab was too clinical for her taste, too neat and white and sterile. She had always felt slightly queasy as soon as she'd caught whiff of the stench that seemed to go hand-in-hand with every hospital she'd ever visited, and this lab was the same. Looking thoroughly bored, she approached a microscope, moving the dial back and forth and leaning in to watch the lens shift in and out of focus.

"Kenzi! What are you doing?" Bo asked, her eyes glancing to the clock every few seconds as her nerves came into play.

"What does it look like?" Kenzi replied in a dull monotone. "I'm sciencing … kinda."

"Yeah? Well, stop!"

She gave the dial another couple of turns and then stood back, mindlessly picking up a stethoscope and twisting the tubing around her finger. "God," she moaned. "I'm so hungry. Why did I even have to come, anyway? You're the one getting all … injection-y and shit." The thought of it caused her to recoil.

Bo rolled her eyes. "An hour ago you were on about how dangerous this was. And I want you to meet Lauren. You know, put your mind at rest."

"An hour ago my stomach wasn't trying to eat itself because it's had no freakin' breakfast!" As if on cue, her stomach rumbled and she pointed to it triumphantly. "See?!" She patted it tenderly. "You know I get grouchy when I'm hungry."

"Biggest … understatement … _ever_ ," Bo replied, her fingers tapping a steady beat against her jeans. "After we've finished up here, we'll grab some breakfast, yeah?"

"As if that was ever up for debate," Kenzi scoffed. "I-" She stopped when she heard footprints, both she and Bo turning to the doorway.

Lauren swept in, her pressed lab coat flowing behind her, hair teased into soft curls that fell down her back. She saw Bo first and grinned, though it froze in place for a long second as she spotted Kenzi. Glancing back to Bo with a quizzical expression, she came to a standstill and smoothed her blue button-down shirt.

Bo stepped forward, a wide smile on her face. "Hi, Lauren," she greeted eagerly. "This is Kenzi. Kenzi, Lauren."

The two women eyed each other, Lauren's eyebrows rising when she noted the stethoscope still curled around one of Kenzi's hands. "Uh … hi, Kenzi."

Kenzi followed Lauren's gaze and quickly unwound the stethoscope before handing it over sheepishly. "This is yours."

Bo looked first at the doctor and then at her friend, looking increasingly awkward as a silence crept around them. "I hope you don't mind me asking Kenzi along," she said with a shy smile.

"Um … no, it's …"

"In the interest of full disclosure, I might hurl if I see a needle," Kenzi stated, eyes widening to saucers as she saw Bo shoot her a glare. "What?! Injections skeeve me out." She pulled a face and theatrically shuddered.

A noise of disbelief sounded from the back of Lauren's throat and she gave a near-imperceptible shake of her head as she turned to Bo. "Are you ready?"

"Definitely. Where do you want me?"

Lauren's eyebrows shot up her forehead and she busied herself with her clipboard.

Kenzi snorted. "Seriously, _what_?!" she asked a moment later when Bo directed another dark look her way. "When it comes to you, that _is_ a loaded question!"

Lauren cleared her throat. "Just take off your jacket and hop up on the exam table," she instructed, apparently trying to ignore Kenzi completely.

Bo complied, slipping out of her jacket and revealing the black tank top underneath as her roommate meandered over to a glass shelving unit and occupied herself by trying to guess what the purpose was of each sample contained within. The succubus glanced over at her before turning her attention to Lauren. "So, you didn't change your mind, then," she said softly, the hint of a smile on her lips.

"Of course not," Lauren replied, tearing open a Chlorhexidine wipe and swabbing Bo's upper arm. "Okay," she said as she prepared the needle. "As I told you last night, this should help curb your hunger," she explained as she took a hold of Bo's arm and leaned over. "You're going to need to come in about once a week so I can administer these injections and adjust them accordingly. I'll be keeping a record of your vitals to make sure everything is okay, but if you feel anything out of the ordinary, you need to contact me immediately. The likelihood of that is minimal," she continued, eyes focused on the task at hand, "Well … aside from the decreased appetite, hopefully." Stepping back, she tossed the now empty hypodermic needle in the medical waste bin and turned back to Bo with a grin. "All done."

Bo's dark brown eyes shone. "Thank you," she gushed gratefully as she shrugged back into her jacket. "So … is that it? I just come in once a week for shots?"

Lauren's grin widened. "Yep. The effects of the injection should be noticeable quite quickly. We'll monitor you, obviously, but I'm optimistic that you'll be able to safely feed from humans relatively soon."

"Wow, that's … that's …" Bo grinned self-deprecatingly and shook her head. "That's pretty wow."

The doctor simply nodded, her gaze intensifying as her expression sobered. "How are you feeling today?" she asked, gesturing at Bo's torso and thigh.

It took Bo a moment to remember her injuries and she lifted her shoulders slightly and slid off of the examination table. "I'm fine," she assured, reaching behind and tugging her long brown hair out from beneath the collar of her jacket. "In a couple of days I'll be good as new."

"Ah. The perks of being a succubus."

"Indeed."

Lauren couldn't ignore the faint flirtation in Bo's voice and yet worked hard to keep her own instinctively reactive hormones in check. She would be of absolutely zero use as a doctor if she continued to fawn over every word a patient said. And Bo was a patient now. One that required Lauren's wits and professional attention. All of this she knew to be true, but she still found it embarrassingly difficult to drag her eyes away from Bo's and it was a good few seconds before she managed to do so, unconsciously biting at her bottom lip as her hair fell around her face.

A noise from behind her caused Lauren to look over her shoulder and she found Kenzi tapping her fingernails against one of the small transparent panels of the glass cabinet. She turned back to Bo with an arched eyebrow. "You remember what I said, don't you?" she asked, her voice quiet. "This can't get back to the Ash. My helping you, I mean. It would be dangerous for both of us."

Bo nodded quickly. "I know. You don't have to worry about Kenzi. She won't breathe a word."

Lauren dipped her head, her expression not entirely convinced. Clearing her throat, she ran a hand through her hair and looked back up, her face neutral once more. "Good. Well, you're all set. I'll see you again in a few days and we can see where we go from there."

About to sound her agreement, Bo was interrupted by her roommate.

"Hey, Doc," Kenzi called, eyes glued to a Petri dish containing something luminously pink. "What the hell is this?"

Glad for the distraction, Lauren strode over to her fellow human and peered into the cabinet. "Oh. That's the focus of one of my latest experiments," she began, her words earnest as she leaned closer to the glass panel. "It's been theorised for at least a decade that the Oeagrus' polymorphonuclear leukocytes, especially in profound cases of inflammation, contains progressive healing properties. Unfortunately, the Oeagrus species has been dying out and they're extremely difficult to track down. Even if you're lucky enough to manage that, retrieving the tissue required to study this theory further is nearly impossible. They're very … private." She glanced up at Kenzi who was staring at her as though she'd spouted an extra head.

"Yeah, no … you lost me at 'ohhh' … 'ee' … whatever it's called. Not all of us are members of the Ivy League," Kenzi replied, her nose wrinkling slightly.

Lauren bit back a sigh. "It's pus," she explained simply. "Very valuab-"

Kenzi raised a hand, her expression repulsed. "Oh, sweet Susan. That is _horf_!" she exclaimed, hurriedly taking a few steps back. Whirling around on her heel, she confronted her best friend with an accusatory glare. "Do you see why I hate these places?! Pus! _Pus_! Just there, in plain sight, for any poor unsuspecting boginya with an empty stomach to come across!" She shuddered, shaking her shoulders and wringing her hands, the disgust evident in her wide eyes.

Bo cast an apologetic look first at Lauren and then Kenzi. She'd only been half paying attention to the conversation taking place between the doctor and her best friend, finding herself increasingly distracted by Lauren's medical jargon, but even she had to admit that the thought of pus left her slightly squeamish. "Yeah, well, we should be going anyway. I'm sure Lauren's busy and we've got that breakfast date, remember?"

Kenzi's eyebrows disappeared behind her bangs. "Breakfast?! Mama's gonna need some alcohol goodness to wash the ick out of my brain." She shook her head morosely. " _Pus_! God, that is so high on the 'ew' scale that … I can't even … "

Lauren kept her smile at bay. "It's science," she offered.

"It's. _Pus_!" Kenzi retorted staunchly.

Quickly coming to the conclusion that neither side was going to back down, Bo stepped forward and grabbed her best friend's arm. "Thank you for today," she said as she looked over to Lauren. "Well, for everything."

"You're welcome," the doctor reassured, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she regarded Bo. "You have my number if you need anything."

Lauren watched, half amused and half bewildered, as Bo flashed a warm genuine smile and dragged a still-complaining Kenzi out of the lab. Staring at the empty doorway for a few seconds longer than was strictly necessary, she only realised what she was doing when she heard the sounds of a colleague's footsteps sound in the hallway. Releasing her breath slowly, she shook her head and crossed through the lab until she was safely inside her connecting office. A highly accomplished compartmentaliser, she shoved all thoughts of Bo to the back of her mind as she dragged out the autopsy report Hale had brought over the previous day and sank into her chair to go over it one last time.

* * *

Even though she should have been used to it by now, Bo remained constantly astounded at Kenzi's unrelenting appetite. She'd known that as soon as breakfast was available to her Kenzi would quickly recant all statements about not being hungry, but Bo stared in fascination as her best friend demolished the tallest stack of pancakes she had ever seen. Her own plate was clear and she felt pleasantly sated as she handed over some more maple syrup. She continued to watch as Kenzi drizzled an unhealthy amount of syrup on her late breakfast and then dug in once more.

Quite happily lost in the moment of feeding her ravenous stomach, it took Kenzi a few moments to realise she was currently on the receiving end of Bo's rapt attention, and she waited to swallow her latest mouthful before speaking. "What?" she asked, her fork already halfway back to her mouth. Her brows knitted together and she brought up her free hand and rubbed at her chin. "Aw, tits. Have I got maple syrup on my face?"

"No, it's … you …" Bo grinned at her clueless friend. "You know what? It's nothing. You go right ahead."

Kenzi's forehead furrowed further before she shrugged and resumed eating, casting a suspicious gaze at her roommate as she devoured another bite. Bo forced herself to look away, her brown eyes scanning The Dal Riata with interest. A text from Dyson had instructed that she visit the tavern and 'sign in' with the keeper. She hadn't been – and still wasn't – sure what to make of Trick, the endlessly knowledgeable Fae who had briefly explained the hierarchy of the world she'd unexpectedly found herself in and had advised her to claim Kenzi as her human. He seemed nice enough, but her gut told her that he knew a lot more than he'd ever let on and she'd learnt to depend on her gut a long time ago.

Still, The Dal was a cosy place where she felt she could truly be herself, and she couldn't really ever remember feeling that way before – not out in public at least. Subsequently, it had quickly become her and Kenzi's number one destination, a one-pit stop for breakfast, a quick drink, or a decent night out, depending on what the mood required. Almost 1 p.m. and the bar was pretty quiet.

Over at the pool table an elderly woman was giving a young man a run for his money as she pocketed ball after ball. A few tables over from where Bo and Kenzi were sitting were a group of women and Bo could've sworn she heard an incantation of some kind. Leaning slightly and straining her hearing, she was awarded with a scowl from one of the table's occupants and the entire group fell into silence.

Feeling faintly embarrassed at being caught out, her eyes roamed over the rest of the room. The only other patrons were a cute couple that looked very much human except for their pointed ears and clawed hands. The pair was seated close to one another and Bo could read the sexual energy radiating from them easily. She continued to quietly observe them for a couple of minutes before the sound of Kenzi giving an unsubtle cough caused her to look back around, eyes widening as she saw her best friend's plate now empty.

"Feeling better?" she asked sarcastically.

Kenzi made a non-committal noise, reaching forward to snag a menu from the middle of table and perusing it closely.

"You have got to be kidding?" Bo inquired, shock displayed clearly on her face.

"Do I seem like the type of person to kid about food?" Kenzi replied seriously. She watched as incredulity coloured Bo's eyes and smiled, tossing the menu back on the table and leaning back. She patted her stomach lovingly. "Nah. Girl's gotta eat but let's not be ridiculous." She was silent as Bo took a swig of her coffee, her icy-blues practically boring a hole into her best friend's skull.

Now it was Bo's turn to feel scrutinised. "What?" she asked after a moment.

"You gonna let your BFF in on what's going on between you and Miss High-and-Mighty?"

Bo dropped her gaze, instead studying her fingers as they remained curled around her warm mug. "I don't know what-"

"Don't even try and lie to the Kenz, m'kay?" Kenzi interjected, raising a dismissive hand as she waited for Bo to look at her again. "Holy crapballs, the entire time we were in the lab I was worried your panties were just gonna drop. And there is not enough therapy in the world to cure me from seeing you get your freak on. Trust me, there isn't."

At this, Bo scoffed, leaning forward and swatting Kenzi on the arm. "Don't be so stupid," she retorted with a roll of her eyes. "Lauren's helping me. That's all there is …" She noticed Kenzi sniffing the air and paused. "Hey. You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Kenzi reassured only to sniff deeply again and look around. "Do you smell that?"

Bo frowned and inhaled cautiously. "What?"

"Why, I think it's …" Kenzi stopped, pressing her index finger against her ear and pretending to listen hard. "Yes, ladies and gents, this just in … we've just detected copious amounts of bullshit!"

Bo's frown disappeared abruptly and she stuck her tongue out in a show of immaturity. "Hilarious."

"I know," Kenzi responded with an unabashed grin. Taking a swig of her drink, her expression became more serious as she eyed her friend over the rim of her mug. "For reals, though," she continued, apparently undeterred. "What is up with you and Doctor Flawless?"

"Nothing!"

Kenzi snorted derisively. "Bobo, you were three seconds away from getting her pregnant just with eye sex alone. And, frankly, I am too wild and adorable to settle down and become an auntie right now."

Bo rolled her eyes. Out of everyone she had ever met, Kenzi was by far the most astute. Or maybe she was the only one not afraid to call Bo out. Either way, the succubus knew there was no point in denying anything further – she knew her best friend well enough to deduce that the more she tried to brush it under the carpet the louder Kenzi would holler. She sighed heavily. "Well, whatever it is, it doesn't matter, anyway. It's not like anything can come of it."

"Why no- _oh_. In case you accidentally kill her? Yeah, that would suck." She paused and then chuckled. "Ha. Quite literally. You know, with the whole chi thing."

Bo didn't know whether to gather her roomie into a hug or throttle her. "No one ever really taught you the meaning of tact, did they?"

"Oh, you naïve little weirdo. No one ever taught _you_ that tact is for pussies, no?" The unamused stare she suddenly became the unwitting recipient of caused her to raise her hands in surrender. "Geez, this Lauren business has got you a little high-strung, hasn't it?"

Bo exhaled slowly and shrugged, using a forefinger to lightly trace patterns into the wooden table-top. "It's just … difficult."

"Yeah, I know, but you _do_ understand that even if the whole turning Lauren into lunch wasn't a problem you still couldn't go there, right?" Kenzi asked, her mouth dropping open as she was met with silence. " _Right_?!"

"Since when did you start caring about who I have sex with?!" Bo shot back, a tad too defensively.

"Since the person you currently want to have sex with is all up in the Ash's business!" Kenzi retorted, looking surprised that she even had to spell this out. "Gawd, and I thought you kissing Dyson was bad enough. You really just don't know boundaries, do you? Like, at all. The Ash is the last person we want nosing around. And we still know absolutely nothing about this hot doc of yours. I'm gonna need you to start thinking more with your head and less with your cooch, okay?"

Bo released a frustrated groan. "You … are a buzzkill."

"But a buzzkill with a rockin' bod and mighty fine fashion sense, amirite?!"

The succubus rolled her eyes once more. There was many things in her life up for debate, but Kenzi's unique style was not one of them and so she remained silent, her thoughts wandering as she drained the last of her coffee.

* * *

Lauren was focused as she swung the rubber mallet against Dyson's right knee first and then his left. She appeared satisfied when she noted the resulting mono-synaptic responses and fixed him with a smile as she tucked the mallet into the pocket of her lab coat. "Your reflexes are good," she informed him as she made a quick note on her clipboard.

"Of course they are. I told you, I don't even need a check-up."

"Yes, well, think of this as you doing your duty – we can't have our resident wolf not in peak condition, can we? Anyway, I think Ciara was on the brink of dragging you here herself and I'm sure you'd prefer to walk on your own two feet rather than be hauled in by a fairy, yes?"

"I'd prefer not to do this at all," Dyson grouched. "You know I haven't had a sick day since before you were born, right?"

Lauren shook her head in amusement. "I think you may have mentioned it once or twice," she reassured. "I thought you weren't going to complain. Is this because I didn't have time to go to the pet store and buy you a nice treat?!"

At this, Dyson's eyes narrowed though his lips quirked up into an unwilling smile. "You're lucky I like you. Not many humans would get away with that."

"Not many?! And here I was thinking I was the only one. Way to crush a woman's dreams, wolfy." The look of faux indignation on her friend's face caused her to chuckle as she turned away, retrieving the mallet from her pocket and putting it on the table.

"Are we done?" The relief in Dyson's voice was palpable.

"For another year, yes," the doctor acquiesced. "I just need to sort out the paperwork and you'll officially be back in the Ash's good books."

"Good books? I was never out of his good books! Have you seen me?! I'm his main muscle man!"

"And humble," Lauren replied with a smirk. "Don't forget humble." She reached over to snag a red file between her fingers and turned back to the wolf. "Speaking of paperwork," she said, showing Dyson the file and watching as intrigue lit up his eyes.

"The autopsy report," he answered, their earlier banter now replaced with professionalism. "And? What did you find?"

"Nothing good, I'm afraid," Lauren advised, flipping it open and retrieving the papers contained within. "I think you might be onto something."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

The air was completely still and the sun was beginning to set, causing a soft orange glow to be cast upon the large grassy meadow as Bo and Kenzi ran forth, both sets of arms outstretched as their shouts carried across the park.

"Hey!" Bo hollered, her long brown hair flying behind her as she powered forward, panic etched on her face. " _Hey_!"

Kenzi matched her step for step, her pink wig sitting slightly askew on her head. "Yo, dude! You might wanna put the axe down!"

The man paid them no mind, pulling the axe back before swinging it forcefully until it connected with the bark of the oversized tree with a resounding thud. Kenzi stopped short, alarm causing her eyes to almost double in size as they darted around the enclosure, but Bo kept running, the words of warning dying on her lips as she ran headfirst into the stranger, tackling his midriff and leading them to both fall to the ground. Without pausing for breath, she rolled over and straddled the man, glad that her roommate's momentary paralysis had quickly abated as Kenzi's leather boot came into focus and kicked the axe away.

"Ugh!" Kenzi moaned, bringing a hand up to swipe at the beads of sweat on her forehead and inadvertently causing her wig to settle even further off-kilter. "That was a dick move, man." She eyed the clearly-winded male with distaste. "Total dick move. You are so lucky-" An ominous rumble cut through her words, and she took a quick step back, expression wary as she stared at the overhanging tree. "Or maybe not quite lucky enough," she murmured, grabbing Bo's arm and trying to haul her up into standing position.

Bo needed no persuasion, jumping to her feet lightly and taking hold of one of the man's hands, dragging him behind her as she and Kenzi attempted to retreat to safety, all the while throwing anxious glances over her shoulder and hoping beyond hope they'd managed to intervene before too much damage had been done.

They'd only managed to create a few metres of distance between them and the tree before a loud _crack_ sounded, echoing through the meadow and eliciting a small squeak from Kenzi. Bo dropped the man's hand and whirled around, stepping forward while reaching down to pull her trusty knife from its scabbard only to pause less than a second later, a frown forming on her forehead. On the grass in front of the tree now stood what looked to be a woman. A lithe frame covered with only a handful of leaves, her eyes were the exact same shade of brown as the tree trunk and her curly hair was a mossy green. Bo was struck by her undeniable beauty.

Crouched down beside the man who now looked utterly terrified, Kenzi waited for the inevitable fight to ensue, though she rapidly became confused as the initial standoff continued. Turning to try and gauge Bo's reaction, one look was enough to elicit an exasperated sigh and she rolled her eyes in disbelief. "Hey, Bobo!" she hissed, stretching out her leg and nudging Bo's foot with the toe of her boot. "'Member what we talked about? Less thinking with your vag and more with your head, yeah?"

Bo looked over to her friend with a dazed expression. "Huh?"

"Dude! You know what Trick said! 'The Kodama's main mode of attack is to entrance the perceived enemy with their appearance.' Oh, and also, watch out for the … something something." She shrugged in the face of Bo's nonplussed expression. "What? I got distracted by the nachos and the Trickster likes to talk!"

The Kodama's face twisted in anger, presumably due to currently being ignored, and Kenzi yelped as a sharpened stick whistled through the air and landed only a couple of millimetres away from the man's head. "Flying sticks!" she shouted fruitlessly. "Watch out for the flying sticks!"

Another one was launched in their direction then, and another, and another, each one thrown with unnerving accuracy, and Kenzi tried to yank the man backwards as Bo rushed forward, jumping up and snagging one of the pointed sticks in her hand as she turned to the Kodama with narrowed eyes. "I don't think so," she muttered, determination setting upon her face as she took a few more steps towards the beautiful Fae. The Kodama strode forth, nostrils flared and teeth bared as more and more sticks somehow miraculously appeared in her hands and she fired them off without hesitation.

"Let's all … let's all calm down a bit, shall we?" Bo tried to reason, ducking and dodging as the wooden weapons suddenly changed trajectory and headed straight her way instead.

Kenzi could feel her adrenaline pulsing as she watched soundlessly, only remembering the man stretched out beside her a few seconds later. Turning to reassure him that Bo could and would sort this out, she did a double take when she was confronted with nothing more than flattened grass. Sitting up straighter, she looked around only to see the stranger's back as he sprinted away. "You suck!" she called loudly, the overt show of cowardice causing her to temporarily forget that reminding an incensed Fae of your presence possibly wasn't the best idea. "And I'm keeping your axe!" The last word had barely left her lips when the axe in question embedded itself just an inch away from her thigh. Swallowing hard, she peeked up at the scowling Kodama and tried for an engaging smile. "Um, thank you?" she whispered.

"That's enough!" Bo exclaimed, her voice strong and steady as she stared down the tree nymph through unwavering eyes. "I know that you feel threatened, but we're just here to help. We can work this out, right?"

The Kodama blanked Bo completely, her attention now fully on Kenzi and she glided forwards with all the grace of a ballerina, being sure to give the succubus a wide berth as she honed in on the human. Kenzi's eyes bulged as she scrambled to her feet, cautiously taking one step back and then another, hands raised in surrender as the Fae approached. "Uh … a little help here?" she asked sarcastically, abruptly having to balance herself after almost falling over her own foot.

"On it!" Bo shouted, thankful that the flinging of sticks had deceased at least. Quickly forming a plan in her head, she was stealthy and silent as she followed the infuriated and territorial creature.

Kenzi released a small whimper as the Kodama approached, internally racking her brains for a way out of this thoroughly unpleasant encounter. Placing another broad smile on her face, she forced herself to remain motionless and fixed the earthly being with as friendly a gaze as she could muster. "Hey, you," she said, her voice containing a faint tremble. "So, how's things?" As soon as she heard her own words, she closed her eyes in horror and shook her head ruefully. "Bad question. Such a bad question. Er … so, um, oh! I love your hair. Totally rad. Do you do something special to it, or …"

The Kodama snarled and barked back a response that sounded not even a little bit close to a human language.

"Oh, merde," Kenzi sighed. "You don't speak English?" The nymph continued forward but said nothing. "Russian, maybe? I'm hella good at Russian." Still nothing. Kenzi could feel her desperation swell. "I'm so sorry, but I don't speak Tree!" she clarified with a dip of her head, the apology clear in her tone. At this, the Kodama lunged forward, another speared stick forming in her hand as she raised her arm and made to attack Kenzi yet again. Years on the street had lent the small Russian to impeccable reflexes and she dropped to her knees and rolled away, feeling a surge of air whoosh past her cheek as she did so.

Before Kenzi even had time to look up, Bo moved in, hooking her arm through the raised one of the Kodama's and using all of her strength to catapult the nymph into the air before pulling down hard and causing the supernatural being to smash into the ground. The Kodama had no chance to retaliate as Bo shoved a knee in her back and applied pressure, using her hand to keep the nymph's face pressed to the grass. With a look of intense concentration, she focused on sending waves of calming emotion through her hand, not relenting until the Kodama was rendered incapable of doing anything other than lying there.

Kenzi slowly rose to her feet, bending over to wipe the grass stains from her favourite black skinny jeans and then straightening up to fix Bo with a raised eyebrow. "Dude, I was _thisclose_ to becoming a Kenzi kebab. Not cool!"

Bo tentatively removed her knee from the Kodama's back and, after seeing that the nymph remained still, stood up and looked at her best friend. "Yeah, well …" Noticing that Kenzi's wig was now hanging almost completely sideways, she chuckled. "Wow. Is that a new look you're going for?"

Kenzi frowned and brought a hand up to her head. Dismay coloured her features as the wig fell away in her fingers and she stared at it for a long moment. "God! She must have thought I was a complete freak!"

Leaning down to yank the tree nymph over her shoulder, Bo paused and looked up at her roomie with an incredulous expression. "You almost got skewered to death and you're worried that the person skewering you was judging you on your hair?!"

Kenzi sighed dramatically. "Girl's gotta have _standards_ , y'all." She suddenly paid attention to Bo's actions and paused. "What are you doing?"

Bo shrugged and exhaled slowly as she heaved the Kodama over her shoulder and stood tall. "We can't leave her here out in the open. I'm going to go take her over there," she pointed at an expanse of raised bushes. "At least she'll be out of sight in case any humans come this way."

Kenzi glanced at the slumbering Kodama, over to the bushes and back again. "Fair enough," she acquiesced though she raised a finger regardless. "On one condition."

"And that is?"

"That we go to The Dal after this. My life just flashed before my hauntingly beautiful blue eyes and all I know is there was nowhere near enough vodka involved."

* * *

Lauren sipped her beer and tried to ignore the three eager pairs of eyes all staring at her from around the table. "I don't know what you want me to say," she offered finally, looking from Dyson to Ciara to Hale with a small shrug. "I can't give you a definitive verdict until I've viewed the body myself."

"Come on, Doc," Hale replied, his voice as smooth as ever as he fixed Lauren with his soulful brown eyes. "I've got a month's worth of paperwork wagered on this."

"And a beer," Dyson added. "Don't forget you also owe me a beer if I'm right about this."

Ciara shared a bemused expression with Lauren before leaning forward, her voice conspiratorial. "But you _do_ think there are abnormalities in the autopsy report?"

The doctor sighed. "I can't conclusively say one way or another," she tried again, only to be met with such beseeching looks that she smiled in spite of herself. "But yes, there are a few indicators that the death is suspicious and there was Fae involvement," she conceded, raising her eyebrows at Dyson as he slammed his palm against the wooden table-top due to his perceived victory. "I'm going to speak to the Ash tomorrow and ask if I can perform another autopsy on the victim."

"And then _you_ ," Dyson said, turning to Hale with a grin, "better get used to sitting behind your desk. For a whole month. Doing paperwork."

Hale smirked. "Pride comes before a fall, bro, just sayin'." He reached for his beer and surreptitiously glanced around the bar. "Anyway, I've got my eye on that cute barmaid and, if I play my cards right, I'll be far too busy for the next month to be messing around with paperwork."

Ciara stared at Hale in amazement. "You never give up, do you?" she asked, genuinely astonished at the siren's stamina when it came to women. "Your sex life is just like one ongoing revolving door. One leaves, another enters. It's rather impressive."

Hale nodded proudly, a wide grin on his face before a thought came to him and he sat up straighter. "Wait, did I not tell you about this Gemini chick? Aw, _man_ , was she … I mean, _they_ … something else. Whew. I had to call in sick for _three days_. Worth it."

Lauren shook her head affectionately as Hale dove headfirst into yet another reminiscing description of what he had himself described as the best days of his life. She'd heard about this particular Gemini more than enough in this lifetime and subsequently found herself zoning out as Ciara and Dyson set about gently ribbing their friend. Looking around The Dal, she noted that it was quite busy for a Thursday evening and passed some time observing the different patrons and using her extensive knowledge to try and determine which species each of them were.

When she'd first pledged her servitude to the Light Fae, the hungry/accusatory/disgusted looks directed her way was endless. Even those who she helped, those who wouldn't be alive if it weren't for her knowledge and assistance, even they had initially treated her with contempt and most Fae just couldn't summon the courtesy to wait until she was out of earshot to voice their distaste at her very presence. It wasn't even as though they did so maliciously as far as Lauren could tell, it was more the fact that they so inherently believed that any and all humans were so beneath them that it simply didn't matter whether they shared their opinions of her in her company or not.

In the past couple of years the sly looks and snide comments had abated somewhat, but Lauren wasn't as naïve enough to believe that this was due in any way to the Fae suddenly deciding to accept humans as equals. She'd worked around them long enough to truly understand that, for the majority, she would always be lesser than. She'd never be good enough. Nor would any human. No, the reason she wasn't forever on the receiving end of the Fae's inhospitality nowadays was because of the Ash. It didn't matter what Fae thought what about any subject, the Light adhered to the Ash's rules and the Dark to the Morrigan's.

Even Dyson, Hale and Ciara held some prejudices, even if they refused to divulge them now that they were all friends. Lauren didn't doubt for a second that the three people in the world that she could include as friends all cared about her, they each – at certain times in their friendship – had gone above and beyond the call of duty to ensure her safety, and she had done the same with them. Sometimes it seemed they almost forgot that she wasn't like them. That was nice. But the fact remained that it had been ingrained in all of them that they were superior to her.

She could tell that Dyson at times bit his tongue to prevent saying something potentially offensive. She could see that Ciara didn't always understand where Lauren was coming from if they were engaging in philosophical discussions. Even Hale, who was decidedly more human-friendly than almost any Fae she'd ever met, held a guilty expression every now and then which clued her into his default mind-set. For a person less analytical, less rational than Lauren such inequalities – invisible or not – would be too much to handle. For Lauren, however, she understood. She knew that her friends tried their best; she didn't blame them for their occasional ignorance. She was simply grateful that she had a couple of people who she could kick back and have a beer with at the end of a long day.

Still, there was no denying it was a lonely place to be sometimes. She would never quite fit into this world she was a part of, and yet she would never again fit into the human world either. She was torn between both of them, and it was highly likely that she would continue to be so for the rest of her days. It was something she rarely allowed herself to dwell upon – much like so many other aspects of her life – and she usually found it to be a blessing that she had the innate ability to separate her life and thoughts into little boxes in her mind. Most of the time she was almost certain that being able to do so was the only thing that kept her sane.

Having analysed every customer to her own satisfaction, Lauren tried tuning back into the conversation at hand only to tune right back out again as she heard Hale reliving his surprise at the Gemini's reveal. Instead, she mentally flicked through the events of the day, making a list of things she had to do for the following day. Her line of thought faltered inexplicably when she remembered the meeting with Bo, and she quickly sipped on her beer as she recalled the way the succubus looked at her. Having only ever treated an incubus before, Lauren knew only the bare basics of succubi, but she was already planning on spending some free time over the weekend reading up some more on the nature and history of the succubus.

She didn't know whether to be amused or irritated that every now and then her mind's eye would provide an image of Bo smiling at her, or gazing at her, or flirting with her and therefore leave her temporarily stumbling. It had happened on three different occasions on that day alone, and it was something entirely new for Lauren to experience. Such an accomplished compartmentaliser she was, it was rare for something (and even rarer for some _one_ ) to slip past those cracks and intrude upon her thoughts without her permission. Giving herself a couple of minutes to indulge in such thoughts, her eyes almost bulged out of her head and she choked a little on her beer as – while idly staring at The Dal's entrance as her brain wandered – the woman occupying her mind walked in.

"Lauren?" Ciara asked, immediately concerned as she cut Hale off and turned to the doctor. "Are you all right?"

* * *

Oblivious to the dark looks cast her way, Kenzi strutted over to the bar, Bo right behind her. Ensuring for the third time in ten minutes that her wig was still firmly in place, she grasped the far side of the bar and hauled herself up, peering over and looking left to right only to find that Trick was currently busy serving someone else. Dropping back onto the balls of her feet, she turned to Bo. "I'm guessing you're on the hunt for some take-out tonight?" she asked.

Bo grinned, eyes glinting mischievously. "I am feeling pretty hungry," she admitted, feeling an anticipatory thrill rush through her. The last time she'd fed was the night before with the unknown blonde at the bar, but her thirst had not been fully sated. Given that she tended to find using her persuasive powers draining, she definitely felt in need of a top-up. When not having to dine in a hurry, she'd found The Dal to be the safest place to meet people. The fact that she hadn't killed someone through feeding since that night she and Kenzi had met was something she was extremely proud of and she'd been relieved to stumble upon somewhere that minimised that risk. Before she had a chance to survey her menu of choice for the evening, Trick approached them.

"Ladies," he greeted genially, "Always a pleasure."

Kenzi scoffed. "Such a charmer, Trickster."

The tavern-keeper smiled and then looked closely at Bo first and then Kenzi. "I take it you managed to protect the tree?" he inquired, his voice quieter now. "You didn't encounter the Kodama?"

"Oh, we did," Kenzi answered before Bo could get a word in. "She's _real_ nice." Her expression screamed otherwise. "Very protective. And did I mention nice? Yeah, we got on real well as she tried to kill me with a totally badass twig."

Trick's eyes widened and he turned to Bo. "You didn't get there in time?"

"Not quite," Bo surmised succinctly. "I mean, no lasting damage was done but, well, she definitely made her presence known."

"Girl should go for javelin in the next Olympics. She'd win gold for sure."

"Where is she now?" Trick asked just seconds before his face dropped. "You didn't kill her, did you?"

Bo looked askance. "No! It's not her fault some dickwad decided to try and tear down her home."

Kenzi leaned in and lowered her voice further, "Humans, amirite?!" She flashed a grin as she saw the expressions on her companions' faces. "I _did_ get this cool lil' trinket, though," she added, hoisting the axe up onto the counter and ignoring the resulting panicked faces of the group of Fae stood next to her.

Trick shook his head and turned back to Bo. "So, where is she?"

Bo shrugged and looked down at the counter. "I hid her behind some bushes," she mumbled. She glanced up at Trick and shrugged defensively. "What?! You didn't exactly tell me how to get her back in her tree, and, um, she wasn't really capable of getting back in there herself."

"Yeah, Bobo totes put the succu-loving whammy on her," Kenzi piped up. "It was _awesome_! Honestly, if I could do that … well, I'd just go around giving hand jobs alllll day." She uncharacteristically blushed as she noted Trick suddenly become engrossed in wiping down the bar and Bo staring at her in shock. "Not like that! Geez! Some people!" She shook her head and turned her attention to her axe. "Anyway, T-Dawg, I would like some of your top shelf vodka, please. For free."

Trick looked unimpressed.

"Dude, I _laid my life on the line for you_ ," she remarked, eyes wide and searching. "I almost died. For _you_." She waited to see if her words would leave a lasting impression. It would seem not. She sighed loudly. "Fine, house vodka, for free. You would be crazy to turn this down."

Trick shook his head. "I think your definition of crazy and mine greatly differs." He looked from Kenzi, to Bo and back again before shaking his head for a second time. "Fine."

Kenzi's entire face lit up. "You da man, T-Bag. Wait … no, let's not use that name ever again."

Bo grinned and turned on her heel until her back was resting against the bar. Her eyes lazily swept over the wide variety of people, a small smile touching her lips as she perused the patrons. She barely blinked as Kenzi pushed a drink into her hand and paid little attention as her roommate proceeded to tell Trick everything that had transpired with the Kodama in hushed tones. Looking around, she felt her hunger grow and her gaze travelled from person to person. A moment later and her heart seemed to somehow both stop and break into a gallop as her eyes skimmed past someone only to return a split-second later. "Shit," she whispered, grateful that Kenzi was too wrapped up in her story to hear her.

Quickly dropping her gaze to the floor, she felt her blood suddenly burn like fire in her veins before curiosity and something else she couldn't yet pinpoint caused her to look back up. Yup. That was definitely Lauren. She exhaled slowly, only for the end of her breath to be released in a loud whoosh as the doctor glanced up at her and their eyes met. Instinctively, she smiled, feeling her stomach twist with yearning when she saw the smile to be reciprocated. Gripping the glass tighter, she waited impatiently to see if Lauren would make a move, any move at all, to signal that she wanted to talk. All anticipation and excitement she felt for the evening's activities were abruptly doused in cold water as the doctor looked away a few seconds later.

Bo's expression turned glum and she drained half of her drink in one long swig, ignoring the burning at the back of her throat as it apparently scorched her insides. Her interest in the rest of the people at the bar diminished remarkably and she felt a sudden urge to go home and curl up in bed. Feeling ridiculously despondent, she turned back to Kenzi who was only just wrapping up her story as Trick repeatedly tried to make it known that he had other people to serve. The barkeeper shot Bo a grateful look as she met his gaze and quickly hurried off to an increasingly annoyed Fae duo.

Kenzi glanced up at Bo, took a sip of her drink and then scrutinised her friend more closely. "Holy shit, who died and … oh, hey," she interrupted herself, intrigue colouring her eyes. "Is that Dyson? Look, he's waving us over."

Bo quickly followed Kenzi's gaze, immediately feeling stupid for not realising Lauren was with company. Of course she was. Before she could suggest to her best friend that they perhaps stayed put at the bar and didn't take Dyson up on his offer, Kenzi was off her barstool and striding over to the table, axe swinging casually by her side. Rolling her eyes, Bo downed the rest of her drink and hastily followed.


End file.
